Consolidated B-32 Dominator

Last modified July 12, 2009

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator four-engined heavy
bomber was ordered at the same time as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. However, the B-32 was definitely the USAAF's second choice, and was
intended primarily as insurance in case the favored Boeing design failed.
Since the B-29 ultimately turned out to be an outstanding success, the B-32 was built
only in relatively small numbers and used in only a very few combat actions
during the last few weeks of the war. Although its brief combat career was
unspectacular, it did have the distinction of flying the last aerial combat
mission against Japan.

In early 1939, General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, the acting head
of the Army Air Corps, had become alarmed by the growing war clouds in
Europe and in the Far East. He established a special committee, chaired by
Brigadier General W. G. Kilner, that would make recommendations for the long term
needs of the Army Air Corps. In their June 1939 report, the Kilner
committee recommended that several new long-range medium and heavy bombers
be developed. Hastened by a new urgency caused by the outbreak of war in
Europe, on November 10, 1939, General Arnold requested authorization to
contract with major aircraft companies for studies of a Very Long-Range
(VLR) bomber that would be capable of carrying any future war well beyond
American shores. It was to be superior in performance, range, load-carrying
ability, and in defensive armament to existing B-17 and B-24 aircraft. Approval for the VLR bomber
project was granted on December 2, and USAAC engineering officers under
Captain Donald L. Putt of the Air Material Command at Wright Field began to
prepare the official specification.

In January of 1940, the Army issued a set of formal requirements for the
"superbomber", calling for a speed of 400 mph, a range of 5333
miles, and a bomb load of 2000 pounds delivered at the halfway-point at that
range. The official specification was revised in April to incorporate the
lessons learned in early European wartime experience, and now asked for more
defensive armament, more armor and provision for self-sealing fuel tanks.
This became the basis for Request for Data R-40B and Specification XC-218.
On January 29, 1940, the War Department formally issued Data R-40B and
circulated it to Boeing, Consolidated, Douglas and Lockheed.

On June 27, 1940, the Army issued contracts for preliminary engineering
data for the new "superbomber" to four manufacturers, which were
designated in order of preference as Boeing XB-29, Lockheed XB-30, Douglas
XB-31 and Consolidated XB-32. Seeing that they were
at a competitive disadvantage, Lockheed and Douglas both subsequently
withdrew from the competition before any detailed designs could be
completed, but both Boeing and Consolidated stuck with it. On August 24,
1940, the Army ordered two prototypes and a static test model from Boeing
under the designation XB-29. At the same time, two XB-32 prototypes were
ordered from Consolidated as insurance against the failure of the favored
XB-29. The contract was dated September 6. A third XB-32 was added
to the contract in November. The first XB-32 was to be delivered within 18 months of
the contract date, the second 90 days later, and the third 90 days after
that.

The Consolidated XB-32 was assigned the designation of Model
33 by the company. It was similar in overall layout to the
twin-finned B-24 Liberator, with a high-mounted
Davis-type wing, twin tails, and a twin bomb-bay covered over by a set of
roll-up doors. It differed from the B-24 in having a larger wing, a
cylindrical fuselage, and a rounded, B-29-type
nose. However, the rounded nose was replaced by a more conventional stepped
windshield before the first prototype flew. The engines were the same as
those of the XB-29 -- four turbosupercharged Wright R-3350 Duplex Cyclone
air-cooled radials. Like the Boeing B-29, the XB-32 had pressurized crew
compartments and remotely-controlled turrets. However, the turrets on the
XB-32 were retractable.

The B-32 mockups were built in late December of 1940. They were modified
to incorporate changes suggested by a Wright Field report on wind tunnel
testing of a 1/35th scale wooden model. The revised mockups were
reinspected and finally approved on January 6, 1941. Thirteen service test
YB-32s were ordered in June of 1941. These would be
developed in parallel to the construction of the three XB-32s.

The first XB-32 (41-141) was rolled out at San Diego on September 1,
1942, nearly six months behind schedule. At this stage in the war, the B-32
was still an important part in the USAAF's war planning. The August 1941
plan was based on precision bombing of German industrial targets with 98
groups of bombers, 48 of them equipped with B-29s and B-32s. The USAAF was already unhappy about the delays in both the B-29
and B-32 programs, and since the B-32 had actually been the first to be
completed, the Army wanted flight tests to begin at once. Because of
problems with the pressurization system and the gun turrets, these items had
been left off the first XB-32 so that it could begin flight testing right
away.

The first XB-32 took off on its maiden flight on September 7, 1942 from
San Diego's Lindbergh Field, with test pilots Russell Rodgers and Richard
McMakin at the controls. Problems with one of the rudder trim tab actuating
rods forced an emergency landing at nearby NAS North Island after only 20
minutes in the air.

The XB-32 had R-3350-13 engines inboard, and R-3350-21 engines outboard,
all of which drove three-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propellers.
The XB-32 was later fitted with four 0.50-inch machine guns in each of its
top and lower turrets, plus a pair of 0.50-inch machine guns and one 20-mm
cannon mounted in the rear of each outboard engine nacelle firing rearward
and controlled by aiming stations in the fuselage and tail. In addition, two
fixed 0.50-inch guns were carried in the wing leading edges, outboard of the
propellers.

Development problems continued, and in February 1943 the YB-32 contract
was cancelled. However, a month later a contract for three hundred B-32s was
placed, although some USAAF officers were in favor of cancelling the B-32
program outright since the B-29 program was now
proceeding forward rapidly. The B-32s were to built at the Fort Worth
Consolidated plant, although the prototypes had been built at San Diego.
The popular name Terminator was assigned. On May 10, 1943, XB-32
41-141 crashed just after takeoff because of a flap malfunction, injuring six
crewman and killing Consolidated test pilot Richard McMakin. This was a
major setback for the B-32 program, since some vital test records had been
destroyed in the crash, which meant that several tests had to be repeated.

The second XB-32 (41-142) flew for the first time on July 2, 1943. The
second XB-32 sported the same type of twin fin and rudder assembly but with
modified rudder tabs. It was also pressurized and had remotely-controlled
retractable gun turrets in the dorsal and ventral positions, with a manned
tail "stinger".

The first flight of the third XB-32 (41-18336) was delayed by further
technical problems. When finally completed in November of 1943, the machine
by now incorporated several features that the Army deemed unsatisfactory.
In December of 1943, the USAAF came to the conclusion that the B-32 as it
then existed was obsolete by contemporary world standards. A host of
changes were recommended in order to save the program from cancellation.
The USAAF felt that the defensive firepower of the XB-32 was totally
inadequate and recommended that the remotely-controlled turrets be replaced
by manned turrets. The armament was changed to a pair of 0.50-inch machine
guns installed in nose, ventral, tail and two dorsal positions. The engine
nacelles were redesigned, and four-bladed propellers were adopted. It was
now envisaged that most of the missions carried out by the B-32 would be at
low or medium altitudes, and the pressurized cabin was abandoned. The
weight savings achieved by the omission of the pressurization enabled the
maximum bombload to be increased to 20,000 pounds. Improved fuel, oil and
bomb-release systems were needed, an automatic flight control system was
installed, and emergency exits were improved. The bombardier's view was
improved through installation of the B-24's Emerson
Model 128 nose assembly. These changes were so major that they represented
a virtual redesign of the entire aircraft.

The third XB-32 was used as the text bed for the changes. After its 25th
flight, the third XB-32 was fitted with a single Boeing-designed 16.5-foot
tall B-29-type vertical tail. However, this was
still inadequate, and a Consolidated-designed 19 feet 6 inch vertical tail
was substituted. This was first flown on the third XB-32 (41-18336) on
November 3, 1943, and ultimately became standard on production B-32 aircraft.

With these revisions, the design became known as the
Model 34, and orders were increased to over 1500 aircraft, including a
third contract for 500 aircraft to be manufactured in the San Diego plant.
San Diego was to produce fuselage parts for Fort Worth, and the latter was
to build wings for incorporation into complete aircraft at San Diego.
Powerplant auxiliary packages were to be built at Downey, and the rudder and
the engines were to come from the Chicago plant of General Motors.

In August of 1944, the popular name of the B-32 was changed to
Dominator. However, in August of 1945, this name was officially dropped because of objections made by the State Department at a United
Nations conference. I am not sure of the reasons for the objection, but the
name "Dominator" must have been deemed to be "politically
incorrect" for the postwar environment. After that, the aircraft was
officially referred to as simply B-32.

Although the first production aircraft built at Fort Worth (42-108471)
was initially fitted with a complete B-29 vertical
tail, it was later fitted with the definitive tall tail. Production B-32s
carried ten 0.50-inch Browning M2 machine guns, mounted two each in manned
nose, tail, belly and two dorsal turrets. The two dorsal turrets were built
by Martin and were electrically-operated and fitted with streamlining
"teardrops". The nose, tail and dorsal turrets were
electric-hydraulic ball turrets built by Sperry. The belly turret was
retractable, but protruded slightly when retracted.

The first B-32 delivery was made on September 19, 1944 with the second
Fort Worth-built aircraft (42-108472). However, it was written off the very
same day when its nose wheel collapsed on landing. Production delays held up
delivery of the next aircraft, 42-108475, until November 22. Service tests
were to be carried out at Eglin and Pincastle Fields in Florida and at
Wright Field and Vandalia, Ohio.

By the end of December of 1944, only five aircraft had been delivered to
the various test centers. In comparison, the B-29 had been in combat for nearly six months.
By this time, the USAAF was quite unhappy about the delays and
deficiencies in the B-32 program. Those few B-32s that had been delivered were
experiencing a high rate of mechanical malfunctions, and there were
complaints about faulty workmanship on some of the delivered aircraft. Many
in the USAAF were now recommending that the B-32 program be cancelled
outright, with B-32 crews being transferred to B-29 units.

Brigadier General Donald Wilson reported on the status of the B-32
program in December, and recommended that even in spite of the difficulties
it would be unwise to abandon the Dominator program until a full set of
tests had conclusively demonstrated its unsuitability. He recommended that
no final decision about the Dominator's future be made until after the
completion of service tests and that the crew training program should
continue.

In support of the training of crews, starting on January 27, 1945, 40
aircraft (42-108485/108524) were delivered without turrets and bombing equipment
as TB-32s for crew training. The unarmed TB-32s carried ballast to
compensate for the weight of the absent turrets and bombing equipment.
Prospective B-32 pilots underwent 50 hours training in TB-32s and co-pilots
received 25 hours of flight time and 25 hours of observer training.

In service, the B-32 had numerous deficiencies. The cockpit had an
extremely high noise level and the instrument layout was poor. Bombardier
vision was rather poor. The aircraft was overweight for the available
engine power, the mechanical subsystems were inadequate, and there were
frequent engine fires caused by a faulty nacelle design. There were
frequent undercarriage failures, which caused the type to be grounded
briefly during May of 1945. On the plus side, the B-32 had excellent
low-speed directional control, good takeoff and landing characteristics and
rapid control response. The B-32 was a stable bombing platform, its manned
turrets provided good protection, its subsystems were easily accessible for
maintenance, and its reversible inboard propellers gave it excellent
ground-handling characteristics.

Many of the problems encountered during the B-32 service tests were
eliminated in subsequent production aircraft, either through design changes
or through better quality control during manufacture.

An August 1944 directive from the USAAF had required that a combat test
be carried out before the B-32 could be introduced into service. However,
the AAFPGC agency opposed both a combat test and general service
introduction of the B-32, so it seemed that the Dominator would be consigned
to operational limbo indefinitely. In the meantime, Lt. Gen. George C.
Kenney, the commander of the Far East Air Forces, had been anxious to get B-29s but
his requests had always been turned down
on the grounds that the B-29s were urgently needed elsewhere. As an
alternative, General Kenney started requesting B-32s instead. On March 27,
General Arnold approved Kenney's request and authorized a comprehensive
Dominator combat test.

Col. Frank R. Cook was appointed commander of the test detachment. Three
B-32s were chosen for the combat test (42-108529, -108531 and -108532).
-108531 was damaged in an accident before leaving Fort Worth, and was
replaced by 42-108528. -108528 was in rather bad shape, since it had been
used as a test machine at Fort Worth. The first two arrived on Luzon on May
24, with the recalcitrant -108528 not arriving until the next day. The test
was to be carried out under the auspices of the 5th Bomber Command, with the 386th Bombardment
Squadron of the 312th Bombardment Group as the host unit.
The 312th BG had four squadrons (386th, 387th, 388th, and 389th) that had been operating A-20s,
and if things worked out well, all of the A-20s flying with the 386th and 387th BS would be replaced by B-32s.
However, by the end of the war only the 386th and 387th had made the transition to the B-32, with the 388th and
the 389th Squadrons still retaining their A-20s.

The first combat mission took place on May 29, 1945. It was a strike
against a Japanese supply depot in Luzon's Cayagan Valley. All three of the
Dominators were to take part, but -108528 aborted on takeoff. The other two
proceeded to the target. There was no opposition, and bombing runs were made from an altitude
of 10,000 feet, and both aircraft returned without incident. This raid was
followed by a series of attacks on Japanese targets in the Philippines, in
Formosa, and on Hainan Island in the Tonkin Gulf. The only opposition
encountered during these missions was some rather inaccurate flak. The
tests were thus deemed a success, and plans were made to convert the entire 386th
Bombardment Squadron to B-32s. The 312th BG was scheduled to move to
Okinawa as soon as the conversion of the 386th BS to the B-32 was completed.

Following the dropping of the atomic bombs, in August of 1945, the unit
was ordered to move to Okinawa before the conversion could be carried out.
Six more B-32s joined the squadron on Okinawa a few days later. Combat
operations continued in spite of the de-facto cease-fire that had been
called following the bombing of Nagasaki. During this time, the B-32s flew
mainly photographic reconnaissance missions, most of which were unopposed.
However, on August 17 a group of 4 B-32s flying over Tokyo were fired on by
radar-directed flak and were attacked by Japanese fighters. The American
aircraft escaped with only minor damage, claiming one confirmed fighter kill
and two probables. During a reconnaissance mission over Tokyo on August 18,
42-108532 and 42-108578 were attacked by Japanese fighters. The American
gunners claimed two kills and one probable, but -108578 was badly shot up
and one of her crew was killed with two being injured. This was to prove to
be the last combat action of World War 2.

The last Dominator mission of the war was flown by four B-32s on August
28 in a reconnaissance mission to Tokyo. The mission was a disaster,
although not because of any enemy action. 42-108544 lost an engine on
takeoff and skidded off the runway. All 13 men aboard perished when the
aircraft exploded and burned. On the way back from the target, 42-108528
lost power on two of its four engines. The plane's pilot ordered the crew
to bail out, but two men were killed.

After VJ-Day, the surviving B-32 aircraft were ordered to return to the
USA. All further production of the B-32 was cancelled in September/October
of 1945. At the time of cancellation, Fort Worth had produced 74 B-32s and
40 TB-32s, and San Diego had built only one. The last six fully-equipped
Dominators (42-108579/108584) were flown from the production line directly
into storage at Davis-Monthan and Kingman, Arizona. Twelve additional
aircraft in shop-assembled status at San Diego and Fort Worth were declared
"terminal inventory" and were also flown directly to disposal
sites. At least 37 partially-assembled machines were stripped of all their
government-furnished equipment and engines and were scrapped on site by the
contractor. Those Dominators that were already in service were flown to the
nearest disposal center, and all the non-flyable examples were scrapped in
place. By 1947, most of B-32s that had been sent to the disposal centers
had been scrapped.

No surplus B-32s were ever sold to foreign air forces, and the aircraft's
complexity and reputation for mechanical unreliability made it unattractive
on the postwar commercial market. There is only example in which a
commercial customer showed any interest in a surplus B-32. In June 1947,
Milton J. Reynolds, a pen manufacturer, announced that he was planning to
buy a surplus B-32 for a round-the-world flight over both poles, but this
plan was never carried out.

No intact, complete B-32 survives today. B-32-1-CF
42-108474 had been set aside for display at the Air Force Museum, but was
unaccountably declared excess and scrapped at Davis-Monthan in August of
1949. Only bits and pieces of B-32s remain in existence today. A nose
turret from a B-32 is in storage at the Paul Garber Restoration Facility of
the Smithsonian Institution at Suitland, Maryland. Another B-32 nose turret
is on display in a Minnesota museum. A static test wing panel from a B-32
was erected as a monument to aviation pioneer John J. Montgomery on a hill
near San Diego.